After that, Lu Zhou and the old man talked for a long time.
The topics they talked about mainly revolved around the details of controllable nuclear fusion.
This included the pros and cons of the choice of technical routes, as well as the technical difficulties, as well as which problems could be solved.
Because it was beyond his field of expertise, Academician Wu, who was sitting next to him, couldn't say anything at all. He could only sit there and listen like a layman.
Lu Zhou tried his best to explain the difficult parts in layman terms.
Of course, other than controllable nuclear fusion, there was also the idea of building China's Princeton Institute of Technology.
As for his treatment after returning to China, Lu Zhou didn't mention it, and the old man didn't ask.
Because this wasn't something that he needed to worry about.
Even if he didn't say anything, there would be people who would take care of it for him.
Lu Zhou followed the guard's footsteps and left the compound. The driver waiting next to the black sedan was no longer the guard he was familiar with, but Wang Peng.
"Is the conversation over?"
"It's over," Lu Zhou said as he sat in the front passenger seat.
Wang Peng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
No matter what Lu Zhou talked about, it wasn't something he could ask.
Lu Zhou put on his seatbelt and watched Wang Peng start the car.
"Oh yeah, where are we going now? I don't have a place to stay in Beijing yet. "
Although the old man already agreed during the meeting, the specific implementation still had to be discussed in a high-level internal meeting.
After all, the research on controllable nuclear fusion wasn't a small amount of money.
Lu Zhou had to stay in Beijing for two more days. First, he had to wait for the results of the high-level discussion, and second, he had to communicate with China's nuclear fusion scholars.
Wang Peng heard Lu Zhou's words and smiled.
"Professor Lu, you're joking. How could we leave you without a place to stay?"
…
The hotel Lu Zhou was staying in was still the same place he stayed when he came to Beijing for the meeting.
After seeing Lu Zhou, Manager Wang, who was slightly chubby and had a charming smile, warmly greeted him and asked with a smile.
"Professor Lu, were you satisfied with the tea last time?"
"I'm quite satisfied. Thank you very much," Lu Zhou said with a smile.
Manager Wang said with a smile, "You're too polite. If you like it, I'll help you get some more."
This time, Lu Zhou did not refuse, nor did he insist on paying.
Firstly, he already knew that this hotel was owned by the government. Taking his money would bring trouble to Manager Wang.
Secondly, no matter what, he had brought back two big gifts for the country this time. It shouldn't be a problem to take two bags of tea leaves with him, right?
Following Manager Wang's footsteps, on the way to the room, Lu Zhou suddenly remembered something, so he said.
"By the way, Manager Wang."
"What is it?"
Lu Zhou looked around and asked, "Is there a conference room here?"
Manager Wang smiled and said, "Of course there is. Just tell me when you need it."
Lu Zhou nodded and said, "Then the day after tomorrow. Remember to keep an eye out for me."
Manager Wang: "Okay."
…
Looking back at China's entry into ITER, it had been eleven years since 2007.
All of this started because of a letter that was sent to the Communist Party of China from the Southwest Institute of Physics.
The person who wrote the letter was Academician Pan Changhong, the dean of the Southwest Institute of Physics.
Even though Academician Pan had retired from his position at the Southwest Institute of Physics, he was still a veteran figure in the field of controllable nuclear fusion in China. He still had a considerable amount of influence.
After coordinating with the relevant departments, Lu Zhou finally met the veteran figure who pushed for China's entry into ITER in a hotel conference room.
"Hello, Academician Pan, I've heard a lot about you." After seeing the old man, Lu Zhou politely reached out his hand.
"I'm the one who's heard a lot about you." Academician Pan shook Lu Zhou's hand and said, "I've always heard people say that Professor Lu is young and promising. I didn't expect you to be younger and more courageous than I thought."
Lu Zhou smiled and politely made an inviting gesture. "You're too kind, please take a seat."
After they sat down at the conference table, the hotel waiter poured a cup of tea for each of them. The waiter then turned around and left the conference room, gently closing the door behind him.
Lu Zhou organized his thoughts for a while and was about to speak. However, Academician Pan spoke first.
"You're more optimistic about the stellarator?"
When Lu Zhou heard this expected question, he nodded and said, "That's right."
Academician Pan stared at Lu Zhou and asked, "Are you confident?"
Lu Zhou: "Yes."
"Based on what?"
"My intuition."
Intuition?
When Academician Pan heard this unexpected answer, he looked at Lu Zhou's unwavering expression. He then smiled and shook his head. "Scientific intuition? Interesting, do you trust your intuition that much? "
"Of course." Lu Zhou nodded and said, "If I don't trust myself, how can I convince others?"
When Academician Pan heard this, he smiled and didn't comment on whether Lu Zhou was right or wrong.
"So, you're trying to convince me. Tell me then, I'm curious, what do you plan on convincing an old man like me to do? "
Lu Zhou smiled and paused for a second before he spoke.
"Controllable nuclear fusion is a systematic project. The technical difficulties involved range from plasma physics to materials research and even information technology research. It requires the cooperation of various research units. This is very difficult, and it's very difficult for me to do it alone. "
Lu Zhou paused for a second before he looked at Academician Pan and sincerely extended an invitation.
"I need your help."
When Academician Pan heard this, he paused for a second. It seemed like he didn't expect Lu Zhou to suddenly make such an invitation.
Even though he was tempted for a second, after thinking for a bit, he shook his head.
"I can't help you. The stellarator isn't my research direction. Not to mention, I'm quite old now. It's fine for me to give a lecture, but it's too difficult for me to do experiments with young people like you."
The old man paused for a second and vaguely reminded Lu Zhou.
"Not to mention, Academician Zhou is mainly responsible for China's controllable nuclear fusion research. If you need support, you should discuss it with him, not me."
Lu Zhou shook his head and said, "Academician Zhou's research is mainly on the tokamak, so he won't support my idea."
Academician Pan didn't say anything, but his expression showed that he agreed with Lu Zhou.
This wasn't just about the technical route; it was also about the academic community.
After all, billions of dollars in research funding was something that no one wanted to see. Not to mention, someone who came out of nowhere took away the power that originally belonged to them.
Funding was only a part of the problem, and it also involved the authority of the government.
This had nothing to do with academia, and it wasn't something that could be explained in a few words.
Lu Zhou paused for a second before speaking.
"In fact, just yesterday, I had already contacted the higher-ups and received policy support and funding guarantees. The new project will be carried out at the same time as the original tokamak project. "
Academician Pan was a little surprised. "You already … contacted the higher-ups?"
Lu Zhou nodded and said, "Yes."
If this is the case …
Then the nature of the project is completely different.
Academician Pan went silent, and he seemed to be hesitating.
Lu Zhou didn't say anything as he quietly waited for him to think.
The old man looked at the rising steam from the teacup, and his eyebrows suddenly relaxed. He looked up at Lu Zhou and smiled.
"If you're not worried that I'm confused, I'm willing to give it a try."
A smile appeared on Lu Zhou's face as he reached out his right hand.
"Welcome to the team!"
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